It is common that people, especially active and/or frail people, experience a variety of lower leg and ankle injuries. To aid in the treatment of the injuries it is desirable to immobilize the injury, typically above and below the affected joint.
Physicians traditionally place a patient's leg in a short leg cast, which is a cast that begins at the patient's toes and ends below the patient's knee. Generally, casts retain heat, cause an itching sensation on the skin, and rub against the leg after swelling of the leg subsides.
An alternative to the short leg cast is an orthopedic walking boot, or a premanufactured orthopedic walking boot, that is made of a rigid plastic frame lined with a soft component (e.g, a soft padding) to accommodate the leg comfortably. Often, the liner, or soft component, may house a series of air bladders that can be adjusted by the patient to improve the fit and help compress the swelling to reduce pain and increase stability. The orthopedic walking boots can be removed to treat skin problems, such as, to remove sutures or conduct passive range of motion exercises. Short leg casts do not offer the luxury of easy on/off.
An orthopedic walking boot is primarily a rigid encasing that envelopes the leg and immobilizes the foot and ankle at a neutral position (e.g., the foot extends 90 degrees relative to the leg). The patient can walk easiest if the ankle is fixed at 90 degrees. At angles other than 90 degrees the patient will be walking on the toes or on the heel. The sole of the foot is generally curved from front to back in a rocker bottom fashion. The curvature of the sole provides a smoother stride from front to back allowing the heel to strike the ground first, followed by a rocking of foot forward, and finally a push off on the toes for a successful step.